Characteristics of Subtype and Molecular Transmission Networks among Newly Diagnosed HIV-1 Infections in Patients Residing in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China, from 2021 to 2023

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 16; no. 7; p. 1174
• Main Authors: Gao, Ruihong, Li, Wentong, Xu, Jihong, Guo, Jiane, Wang, Rui, Zhang, Shuting, Zheng, Xiaonan, Wang, Jitao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.07.2024
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; AIDS; Analysis; China - epidemiology; cluster; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Disease control; Disease prevention; Disease transmission; Ethnicity; Female; Genetic distance; Genotype; Health surveillance; Heterosexuality; HIV; HIV (Viruses); HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV Infections - transmission; HIV Infections - virology; HIV-1; HIV-1 - classification; HIV-1 - genetics; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immune system; Infections; Male; Medical laboratories; Middle Aged; Molecular dynamics; Molecular Epidemiology; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Pol gene; pol Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus - genetics; Polymerase chain reaction; Public health; Risk Factors; Software; Statistical analysis; subtype; Thermal cycling; transmission network; Young Adult; China; United States > US; Shanxi China; HIV-1; molecular epidemiology; cluster; transmission network; subtype
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v16071174

The HIV-1 pandemic, spanning four decades, presents a significant challenge to global public health. This study aimed to understand the molecular transmission characteristics of newly reported HIV infections in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China, to analyze the characteristics of subtypes and the risk factors of the transmission network, providing a scientific basis for precise prevention and intervention measures. A total of 720 samples were collected from newly diagnosed HIV-1 patients residing in Taiyuan between 2021 and 2023. Sequencing of partial genes of the HIV-1 gene resulted in multiple sequence acquisitions and was conducted to analyze their subtypes and molecular transmission networks. Out of the samples, 584 sequences were obtained, revealing 17 HIV-1 subtypes, with CRF07_BC (48.29%), CRF01_AE (31.34%), and CRF79_0107 (7.19%) being the dominant subtypes. Using a genetic distance threshold of 1.5%, 49 molecular transmission clusters were generated from the 313 gene sequences. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in the HIV transmission molecular network in terms of HIV subtype and household registration ( < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CRF79_0107 subtype and its migrants were associated with higher proportions of sequences in the HIV transmission network. These findings provide a scientific foundation for the development of localized HIV-specific intervention strategies.